Explosion-motor.



No- 807,569, PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

B. S MOLYNEUX. EXPLOSION MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR5,1904.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrrou.

No. 807,5 e9.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed March 5, 1904:. Serial N0n 196,657.

T 0 all whonz it may concern;

Be it known that I, BARTON S. MOLYNEUX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Explosion-Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a motor in which the power is developed by re eated explosions of successive charges 0 gaseous fuel which is expended against a movable impulse member.

The object of this invention is to produce a motor of this character in which the maximum efficiency of the fuel is obtained and in which the power is developed without running the motor at an obj ectionably high speed.

l/Vith that end in view my invention consists, essentially, in transmitting the pressure of the exploding gas to the impulse member by means of a body of impact liquid which is acted upon by the gas-pressure and forcibly delivered against the impulse member for moving the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of an engine or m0- tor embodying one form of my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, showing the clutch and fly-wheel at one end of the driving-shaft in section. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Similar lettcrs'of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A represents the movable impulse member of the motor, which may be of various forms, but preferably consists of a rotary wheel having a plurality of buckets or wings a on its periphery. This wheel is arranged in a casing B and is mounted on a horizontal shaft 1), which is journaled in bearings in the side walls of the casing. At its opposite ends the driving-shaft is provided with fly-wheels C C, which are coupled with the shaft by clutches D. The latter permit the engine to be started and acquire speed independently of the fly-wheels, after which the clutches are operated for connecting the shaft and wheels and causing the same to rotate together. Any suitable clutches may be employed for this purpose, each of those shown in the drawings consisting of expansible shoes d, arranged opposite a'brake-surface d in the bore of the fly-wheel, a clutch-c0llar d sliding axially on the shaft and connected by links (1 with the shoes and an adjusting-collar d having a screw connection with the shaft and coupled with the clutch-collar, so as to be compelled to move axially therewith, but is free to turn independently thereof.

E represents a pressure-chamber or cylinder in which the power for driving the impulse-wheel is generated. The chamber is preferably arranged vertically above the wheel-casing and provided at its lower end with an outlet pipe, nozzle, or conduit 6, which opens tangentially into the wheel-casing. This pipe is provided with a valve e, whereby. the same may be opened-or closed for establishing or interrupting communication between the pressure-chamber and the wheel-casing.

F, G, and H represent pipes which supply air, gas, and water under pressure to the pressure-chamber and which are preferably so arranged that the air-pipe F opens in the upper part of the chamber, the gas-pipe G opens into the central part of said chamber,

and the water-pipe H opens into the lower part of the chamber, as shown in Fig. 1. Any other suitable explosive medium may be substituted for the air and gas, and the water may also be replaced by another suitable impact medium. The air, gas, and water pipes are provided with controlling-valves], g, and h and with check-valvesf, g, and h, respec tively, which are arranged in rear of the controlling-valves.

In the operation of this motor the valve ein the outlet is closed, while the inlet-valvesf 0 g h are opened and admit air, gas, and water, respectively, into the pressure chamber. The inlet-valves are preferably opened at the same time but the valves f g are closed when the desired amount of air and gas has been admitted to the chamber, while the valve 7% remains open until a sufiicient quantity of water has accumulated in the lower part of the chamber to compress the mixture of air and gas above the same to the required extent. When this occurs, the inflow of water is stopped and the compressed body of gas eous fuel is ignited, thereby causing the expanding gases to produce a pressure on the water in the chamber. When this takes place, the outlet-valve e is opened, causing the water to be expelled from the chamber in ajet through the nozzle and to be directed by the same tangentially against the buckets of the wheel for turning the same. After the water has expended its force against the wheel and clears the same it escapes from the ICS casing through an outlet-opening b on one side of the lower part thereof. When the entire charge of water and products of combustion have been expelled from the chamber, the outlet-valve thereof is again closed and the operation is repeated in the manner before described for each impulse. In the construction of the valves shown in the drawings the movable members thereof consist of rotary plugs; but any other suitable form of valve which will answer the purpose may be employed.

Various mechanisms may be employed for operating the valves at the proper time, that shown in the drawings merely serving to illustrate one form of device suitable for this purpose and being constructed as follows: I represents a rock-lever pivoted on a suitable bracket i, which connects the chamber and casin and having its inner arm arranged below t e chamber and connected by a link 7: with an arm 6 on the plug of the outlet-valve e. The outer arm of the rock-lever is connected with a spring 9', which operates to turn the lever in the direction for reversing its inner arm and closing the outlet-valve. K represents a piston sliding vertically in a stuffing-box in the lower head of the chamber and having its inner or upper end projecting into the chamber, so as to be exposed to the pressure therein, while its outer or lower end is provided with a roller 76, which bears against the upper side of the inner arm of the rock-lever- When an explosion of gas ocours in the chamber, the pressure developed thereby is exerted against the inner end of the piston and pushes the same outwardly, thereby turning the rock-lever in the direc tion for opening the outlet-valve and permitting the water under pressure to be directed against the impulse-wheel. When the contents of the chamber has been discharged and the pressure against'the inner end of the piston has been removed, the spring 1' turns the lever in the opposite direction and closes the outlet-valve.

L represents a verticallyreciprocating shifter-bar which is guided in suitable ways and normally held in an elevated position by a spring Z. On the shifter-bar are arranged a plurality of tappets m m m, which are arranged to engage with the upper side of rock-arms n n n on the plugs of the air, gas, and water inlet valves, respectively, during the downward movement of the bar and open the same. The downward or operative movement of the shifter-bar is produced by a trip-pawl 0, pivoted on the outer arm of the rock-lever and arranged to engage an upwardly-facing shoulder 0 on the lower part of the shifter-bar. As the lever turns in the direction for opening the outlet-valve the pawl is moved upward without engagement with the shoulder of the shifter-bar. During the closing movement of the outletvalve the shifter-bar is coupled by the pawl with the rock-lever and moved downwardly, thereby causing the tappets to depress the rock-arms n n n and open the air, gas, and water inlet valves. During the last part of the downward movement of the pawl the same becomes disengaged from the shoulder of the shifter-bar, owing to the circular movement of the pawl relatively to the bar, thereby permitting the spring Z to quickly return the bar to its elevated position. The closing of the air, gas, and water valves is effected by springs p p p applied to the arms thereof. The several valves are preferably so timed that the air, gas, and water inlet valves are opened after the outlet-valve is closed. The air and gas valves are then closed after the required amount of gaseous fuel has been delivered into the chamber, while the water-inlet valve continues to remain open after the air and gas valves are closed a sufficient time for filling the chamber to the required height and compressing the confined mixture of air and gas preparatory to igniting the same. This relative movement of the valves may be effected in various ways; butI prefer to employ for this purpose dashpots Q Q Q Q which are operatively connected with the air, gas, and water outlet valves. Each of these dash-pots is constructed in a well-known manner, its piston or plunger being preferably connected with the actuator of its respective valve, and its cylinder or barrel is provided with a pet-cock g for regulating the admission of air thereto. The instant the water-supply valve is closed the compressed charge of fuel mixture is ignited, and this maybe effected in any suitable manner, but preferably by a pair of jump-spark terminals 1, arranged in the upper or firing end of the chamber, which are included in the circuit of an electric generator or dynamo R and a switch. The movable and stationary contactss s of the switch are mounted, respectively, on the rock-arm of the water-supply valve and on an adjacent stationary part of the engine. Immediately after the water-supply valve is closed the movable switch-contact engages its companion stationary contact, thereby closing'the circuit of the generator and producing a jumpspark at the terminals 1", which ignites the gas.

The bulk of the burned products escapes through the exit-pipe e after the water has been discharged, the valve 6 remaining open a suflicient time for this purpose. The slight amount of burned products remaining in the combustion-chamber does not interfere with the formation therein of a combustible mixture.

Instead of shutting off the fuel-supply and effecting compression thereof by continuing the admission of water this operation may be reversedthat is to say, the water-supply may be cut off first and the fuel-supply continued until the desired compression thereof has been effected. In this case the switchcontacts 8 s cooperate with the fuel-supply valves so that a spark is produced in the to the atmosphere is comparatively small,

and therefore renders it necessary to develop a high speed in order to render the same practicable. T his high speed introduces difficulties in lubrication which are very troublesome and result in undue wear of the parts.

By interposing a body of liquid between the exploding gas and the impulse-wheel the pressure is delivered against the wheel by a medium which is more substantial than gas and which is capable of delivering an effective blow against the wheel by the power which is stored up in the same. A greater efficiency is thus derived from a certain amount of explosive fuel which permits of running the engine at a slower speed, thereby avoiding undue heating and wearing of the bearings and other parts.

The engine is preferably started with the fly-wheels uncoupled from the shaft; but after the engine acquires speed the flywheels are coupled with the shaft. The power may be transmitted from the engine to the parts to be driven in any suitable mannerfor instance, by means of a belt passing around one of thefly-wheels.

While I have herein shown a rotary wheel having buckets on its periphery for receiving the water tangentially under pressure, this member may be otherwise constructedfor instance, the water may be directed axially against the spiral blades of a propellerwheel.

I claim as my invention 1. A motor comprising a movable impulse member, a pressure-chamber having an outlet whereby the contents of the chamber are directed against said impulse member, a valve controlling said outlet, and a piston arranged to be acted upon by the pressure in the chamber and operatively connected with said valve, substantially as set forth.

2. A motor comprising a movable impulse member, a pressure-chamber having an outlet whereby the contents of the chamber are directed against said impulse member, a valve controlling said outlet, a piston exposed to the pressure in said chamber and operatively connected with said valve for opening the same, and a spring for closing said valve, substantially as set forth.

3. A motor comprising a movable impulse member, a pressure-cha1nber having an out let whereby the contents of the chamber are directed against said impulse member, a valve controlling said outlet, a piston exposed to the pressure in said chamber and operatively connected with said valve for opening the same, a spring for closing said valve, and a retarding device for checking the closing movement of the valve, substantially as set forth.

4. A motor comprising a movable impulse member, a pressure-chamber having an outlet whereby the contents of the chamber are directed against said impulse member, a valve for controlling said outlet having a rotary plug and a rockarm on its plug, a rocklever connected with said arm, a piston op- V eratively engaging its outer end with said lever and exposed at its inner end to the pressure in said chamber for opening the valve, a spring for closing said valve, and a dash-pot for retarding the closing movement of said valve, substantially as set forth. Y

5. A motor comprising an impulse member, a pressure-chamber having an outlet whereby the contents of'the chamber are directed against said member, a supply-pipe connected with the chamber, a valve controlling said pipe, a piston acted on by the pressure in the chamber, and a trip device actuated by the piston and operating said valve, substantially as set forth.

6. A- motor comprising, an impulse member, a pressure chamber having an outlet whereby the contents of the chamber is directed against said impulse member, a valve controlling said outlet, pipes for supplyingan impact liquid and an explosive fuel to said chamber, valves controlling said supplypipes, and a piston acted on by the pressure in the chamber and operatively connected with the valves in said outlet and said supplypipes, substantially as set forth.

7. A motor comprising an impulse member, a pressure-chamber having an outlet whereby the contents of the chamber is directed against said impulse member, a valve controlling said outlet, pipes for supplying an impact li uid and an explosive fuel to said chamber, va ves controlling said supplypipes, a shifting-bar having tappets operating to open the valves in said supply-pipes, a rock-lever having one arm connected with said outlet-valve and its other arm provided with a pawl operating to couple said lever and bar, and a piston acted on by the pres sure in the chamber and operatively engaging said lever, substantially as set forth.

8. A motor comprising an impulse member, a pressure-chamber having its lower part provided -with an outletnozzle whereby the contents of the chamber is directed against the impulse member, a valve for controlling said outlet having a rotary plug provided with an arm, a water-supply pipe opening into the lower part of the chamber, gas and air supply pipes opening into the upper part of said chamber, valves controlling said supply-pipes and having rotary plugs provided with arms, a reciprocating shifting-bar provided with tappets arranged to turn the arms of said supply-valves and open the same during the forward movement of the bar, a rocklever having one arm connected with the arm of said outlet-valve while its opposite arm is provided with a pawl arranged to engage a shoulder on the shifting-bar for moving the same forwardly,springs for closing said valves, dash-pots for retarding the closing movement of the valves, and a piston acted on by the pressure in the chamber and operatively engaging said rock-lever, substantially as set forth.

9. A motor comprising an impulse member, a ressure-chamber having its outlet arrange to direct the contents of said chamber against said member, means for supplying an impact liquid-to said chamber containing a valve, means for supplying an explosive medium to said chamber, an electric igniter arranged in the firing-space of the chamber and a switch for said igniter which is arran ed to be closed by the valve of the impactiquid supply during the closing movement of the same, substantially as set forth.

10. A motor comprising an impulse member, a pressure-chamber having its outlet arranged to direct the contents of said chamber against said member, means for supplying an impact liquid to said chamber containing a valve, means for supplying an explosive medium to said chamber, a pair of jump-spark terminals arranged in the firing-space of the chamber, an electric generator, and a switch included in the circuit of said terminals and the generator and composed of a stationary contact and a movable contact mounted on the movable member of the valve controlling the supply of impact liquid, substantially as set forth.

45 Witness my hand this 1st day of March,

BARTON S. MOLYNEUX.

Witnesses:

THEO. L. PoPP, EMMA M. GRAHAM. 

